BUD WINE 2023 – The first wine tasting and competition of Budapest Airport
In 2023, Budapest Airport organised its first wine competition. During the event, three wine experts, the Budapest Airport leadership, and business partners conducted a blind tasting to select wines worthy of the ‘BUD Wine’ title. These wines represent the country’s cultural heritage and symbolise the excellence of the region’s best airport in the coming years. We ensured that everything ran smoothly, from contacting winemakers to storing and transporting samples, all the way to presentation and tasting.
The project
Budapest Airport entrusted us with organising a wine competition to find outstanding wines that would aptly represent the company’s spirit, embodying the desired quality and sophisticated taste. The goal was to provide a pleasant evening for the members of the leadership team and invited partners, allowing them to engage in conversations, build connections, and, of course, savour fine wines.
The event had a unique identity. When designing the logo, we seamlessly merged aviation and wine. Visual elements and the name were reflected across all event materials, including the neck labels of the winning wines.
The four category-winning wineries established a significant collaboration with Budapest Airport. Throughout this year and the first half of 2024, they will represent the company and appear as valuable gifts on the tables of esteemed partners with the awarded bottles.
The task
Our mission was to organise a comprehensive, full-evening wine tasting and dinner for 80 VIP guests, ensuring everything ran so smoothly that they wouldn’t even notice the extensive work happening backstage. The blind tasting was framed within a ceremony led by the patron and a professional team. We had to coordinate a massive staff and adhere precisely to all time constraints to stay within the event’s duration. Meanwhile, the guests enjoyed a pleasant, conversational – and sustainable – wine dinner.
The Challenge
We had never stored this many wines before – 321 samples arrived! We had never coordinated with so many winemakers regarding entry requirements, samples, transportation, etc. We tailored the external communication conducted jointly with Budapest Airport to this target audience, aligned with their needs, and adjusted the entry deadline accordingly. Coordinating numerous individuals was necessary to ensure that the event unfolded as envisioned by the client.
Green solutions we loved
Cork notebook and pen: We chose materials that are environmentally friendly and fit the wine theme. Additionally, it was a useful gift since guests had to take notes!
Natural decorations: We adorned the venue with dried and live plants, opted for seasonal flowers, and replaced place cards with names handwritten on leaves. We rented textiles.
Sustainability partnership: Budapest Airport offsets the event’s carbon footprint. The competition awarded a special prize in the “Sustainable Winemaking” category to Zelna Winery, operating as a certified organic farm.